Duke of Newcastle-under-Lyne
|
His Grace The Duke of Newcastle KG PC FRS |
|
|---|---|
A portrait of the Duke painted around 1750
|
|
| Prime Minister of Great Britain | |
|
In office 2 July 1757 – 26 May 1762 |
|
| Monarch |
George II George III |
| Preceded by | The Duke of Devonshire |
| Succeeded by | The Earl of Bute |
|
In office 16 March 1754 – 16 November 1756 |
|
| Monarch | George II |
| Preceded by | Henry Pelham |
| Succeeded by | The Duke of Devonshire |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
21 July 1693 London, England |
| Died | 17 November 1768 (aged 75) Lincoln's Inn Fields, Middlesex, England |
| Political party | Whig |
| Spouse(s) | Lady Harriet Godolphin (m. 1717) |
| Parents |
Thomas Pelham, 1st Baron Pelham Lady Grace Holles |
| Alma mater | Clare College, Cambridge |
| Signature |  |
Thomas Pelham-Holles, 1st Duke of Newcastle upon Tyne and 1st Duke of Newcastle-under-Lyme, KG, PC, FRS (21 July 1693 – 17 November 1768), was a British Whig statesman, whose official life extended throughout the Whig supremacy of the 18th century. He is commonly known as the Duke of Newcastle.
A protégé of Sir Robert Walpole, he served under him for more than twenty years, until 1742. He held power with his brother, Prime Minister Henry Pelham until 1754. He had at this point served as a Secretary of State continuously for thirty years—dominating British foreign policy.
After Henry's death the Duke was prime minister six years, in two separate periods. While his first premiership was not particularly notable, Newcastle precipitated the Seven Years' War; his weak diplomacy cost him the premiership. After his second term as Prime Minister, he served for a short while in Lord Rockingham's ministry, before retiring from government. He was most effective as a deputy to a leader of greater ability, such as Walpole, his brother, or Pitt. Few politicians in British history matched his skills and industry in using patronage to maintain power over long stretches of time. His genius appeared as the chief party manager for the Whigs, 1715-1761. He used his energy and his money to select candidates, distribute patronage, and win elections. He was especially influential in the counties of Sussex, Nottinghamshire, Yorkshire and Lincolnshire. His greatest triumph came in the 1734 election.
Outside the electoral realm, his reputation has suffered. Historian Harry Dickinson says that he became:
Notorious for his fussiness and fretfulness, his petty jealousies, his reluctance to accept responsibility for his actions, and his inability to pursue any political objective to his own satisfaction or to the nations profit ... Many modern historians have depicted him as the epitome of unredeemed mediocrity and as a veritable buffoon in office.
...
Wikipedia